Senior Manager, Vehicle Engineering (R4283)

Shield AI•Dallas, TX

15h•$193,000 - $280,000

About The Position

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AIâs technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. We are seeking an experienced Senior Manager of Vehicle Engineering to lead the design and development of scalable, high-quality software solutions for the VBAT and XBAT programs. In this role, you will define architectural standards, guide engineering teams, evaluate technologies, and ensure that our systems are robust, secure, and aligned with long-term business goals.

Requirements

Bachelorâs or Masterâs degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
10+ years of software development experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or architectural role.
Strong expertise in one or more programming languages (e.g., Java, C++, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript).
Proven experience designing aircraft software systems for both safety critical and secure applications
Proficiency in CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and infrastructure-as-code tools.
Excellent communication and documentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
Background in high-availability, high-throughput systems.
Knowledge of DOD reference architectures.
Prior experience in leading cross-functional technical initiatives.
Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking.
Comfortable presenting technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Strategic mindset with a focus on long-term system sustainability.

Responsibilities

Design and document end-to-end software architecture for complex aircraft and ground station systems.
Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
Establish architecture guidelines, coding standards, and best practices across development teams.
Evaluate and recommend tools, frameworks, and platforms that support product scalability and performance.
Create architectural diagrams, system models, data flows, and integration patterns.
Conduct technical reviews and provide mentorship to engineering teams to ensure architectural alignment.
Lead prototyping efforts to validate new technologies and architectural approaches.
Ensure security, compliance, and performance considerations are integrated into design decisions.
Troubleshoot critical issues and guide teams in resolving architectural bottlenecks.
Stay updated on emerging trends in software engineering, cloud technologies, and system design.